In their first face-to-face meeting Monday, New Orleans Hornets general manager Dell Demps made quite a favorable impression on Chris Paul, sources close to Paul said.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-PicayuneNew Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul is not now asking the team for a trade, according to sources

Demps also bought the franchise a little time with Paul, its star point guard, who had grown impatient with the team's inactivity during free agency.

After hearing Demps' plan for retooling the roster, Paul, a three-time All-Star, is on board with the team's direction and will not seek to force a trade, according to sources close to him.

Although Paul has refrained from offering details about Monday's meeting with Demps, Coach Monty Williams and team president Hugh Weber, sources said it was similar to a family sitting around a table and talking.

Demps said they plan to put the necessary pieces around Paul by coming up with creative ways to make trades. Sources said Paul is confident Demps will be able to make the necessary moves on a roster that has remained stagnant during free agency. Backup center Aaron Gray remains the Hornets' only signee this offseason.

"Anything can happen. We're right at the beginning of August, and training camp doesn't start until the beginning of October, '' a source close to Paul said. "They made the right choice hiring Dell. We knew the Spurs talked very highly of him, so that's all we could go off. But (Paul) said it was a great meeting.''

During the meeting, sources close to Paul said, he mostly spoke of his desire to win, and there was virtually no mention of the stalled ownership transfer involving George Shinn selling his majority share to Gary Chouest.

Paul and Demps have said they intend to keep most of what was said at the meeting private.

Paul has two years remaining on his contract before he can opt out, but his agent, Leon Rose, contacted the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks last week to gauge their interest in obtaining Paul in a possible trade.

The Hornets, according to sources, won't listen to any offers for Paul.

"Chris never said anything about a trade, '' a source close to Paul said. "All he said is that he wants to win. He does so much in the community. He hasn't built those courts around (town) for nothing. Of course, he wants to be here.''

On Tuesday, the NBA sent a memorandum to all 30 teams reminding them of the league's anti-tampering policy, and that franchises could lose draft picks and get fined as much as $5 million if they speak to Paul or his representatives without permission from the Hornets.

Demps also said Paul did not demand a trade during their hour-and-a-half meeting. If Paul publicly demands a trade, he could be fined by the league.

"It's always been about winning, '' Paul said Tuesday at his basketball camp at Tulane. "If you ask anybody in the NBA, I hope it's about winning. All of us are competitors. I don't care what you do, what field of expertise you're in ... when I'm playing basketball, I just want to win.''

At their meeting Monday, Williams said he told Paul they share the same desire when it comes to winning.

Demps, in the meantime, will focus on building around Paul, and not using his best player as a bargaining chip.